Ryan Fitzpatrick has at least thought about it.
The Prime Video analyst appeared on Pardon My Take this week and addressed whether he’d consider pulling a Philip Rivers and wandering back out of retirement.
“I have contemplated because I’ve got one more year before my health insurance runs out,” Fitzpatrick said. “So I have thought about that. That was a big deal for Philip, as we’ve seen with the 10 kids. But, for me, it just came down to: Do I want to reset the clock on my Hall of Fame eligibility? And I think that answer’s no, you know? I think next year we’ll see what happens there, and maybe after I don’t get inducted into the Hall of Fame first ballot, I’ll think about it.”
Rivers’ return opened a door that probably should’ve stayed closed. Matt Ryan admitted on CBS that he’s watched games thinking he could still do it. Ben Roethlisberger has said similar things. Rivers — a 44-year-old grandfather — went 18-of-27 for 120 yards in Seattle and almost won, which was apparently just enough to convince every recently retired quarterback that the league might still need them.
Ryan Fitzpatrick retired after the 2021 season, meaning he’s been out of the league for four years compared to Rivers’ five. He’s 43, a year younger than Rivers was when he suited up Sunday. On paper, the math actually works better for him than it ever did for Rivers, even if the talent gap between them was pretty clear during their playing days.
That said, Fitzpatrick has carved out something real at Prime Video. He won Awful Announcing’s Charles Barkley Award for best studio analyst in 2025, a nod to how smoothly he’s moved from the field to the desk. The Thursday Night Football crew has become appointment viewing, and Fitzpatrick is a big reason why, balancing real football insight with a total lack of interest in taking himself too seriously.
For now, Ryan Fitzpatrick seems content to keep the health insurance intact and stick with broadcasting. But if the Hall of Fame voters somehow overlook him next year, don’t rule anything out. After all, that insurance clock is still ticking.
About Sam Neumann
Since the beginning of 2023, Sam has been a staff writer for Awful Announcing and The Comeback. A 2021 graduate of Temple University, Sam is a Charlotte native, who currently calls Greenville, South Carolina his home. He also has a love/hate relationship with the New York Mets and Jets.